Ceramic potter Apoorva moulds her way to personalised artistic pieces

CHENNAI: Apoorva Kappagantula credits the beginning of her career in ceramic pottery to her parents and husband, who calls her an ‘independent, tough person.’

“I had a penchant for craft since my childhood, when I started sketching. I later pursued a diploma in fine arts from Kalakshetra Foundation,” states the ceramic artiste.

The 30-year-old from Chennai, is an established studio potter and also a wall art painter. Apoorva likes an open, calm space for her to be in her artistic element. This made her transform her small garage into her studio space, where she moulds the clay to beautiful artistic pieces.

“I focus on crafting day-to-day cutlery pieces, which includes coffee mugs, saucers, plates, and many more in my studio. I like to create aspects which are personalised and close to my heart through my pottery,” says the potter.

Apoorva gives her signature touch of a flower, which is close to her heart, to her art pieces. According to her, the delicately beautiful yellow-white Frangipani reminds her of her days in Kalakshetra.

“The campus used to be beautiful, where the route to my art department was studded with flowers, adding to the beauty of the atmosphere. It is from there that I drew my inspiration,” highlights the artiste.

Pottery is an art which requires a lot of dedication and focus to detailing. It’s smart work, and not hard work which brings out the best artistic ceramic piece, according to Apoorva, who also dedicates time and effort in wall paintings for cafes and residential areas around the city.

The studio potter, who started six years ago, finds the artform to have grown and competitive in just a few years. “Nowadays anybody can be an artiste, with the required skill set. It isn’t about studying the artform, the way I did,” she states.

Apoorva also loves to teach her studio ceramic pottery skills to people, calling it a comforting experience. Partnering with OlogyWomen, the artiste will be conducting her Ceramic Pottery Workshop, on September 2, at Ology Studio in Anna Nagar. “The workshop will be from 3 pm to 6 pm, which is open to people of all age groups. I look forward to a personalised teaching and learning approach, where every single person crafts a pottery personal to them and takes home a bundle of fresh pottery knowledge from me,” explains Apoorva.